The everyday blog of Richard Bartle.
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4:27pm on Thursday, 15th December, 2005:
Outburst
We bought a computer today for Jenny's Christmas present. It's a HP W5251UK, which is the best they do without going dual core.
The sales staff offered us "insurance" for £200. Given that the PC itself cost £700, we declined this generous offer.
The thing is, the insurance was presented as a "one plus two" deal, whereby the ordinary Comet guarantee would be extended to three years. Of course, if it's going to die then it'll do so in the first 6 months, and 3 years from now she'll need a new PC anyway. That's not the point, though.
For ages in the UK, electrical goods had a 1-year guarantee on them. Then, in 2002, we became subject to the EU law that gives a legal guarantee of two years on all consumer goods. When Comet says they have a "one plus two" deal, they don't mean they're extending your guarantee from one year "plus two" to three, they mean they're giving you one year "plus two" that you already have.
It's absolutely disgraceful!
Still, all other computer retailers do the same, and Comet charges less if you don't pay the extra 28.6% they want, so that's where we usually go. Their sales staff tend to know what they're talking about, too.
It's still a rip-odd, though.
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Copyright © 2005 Richard Bartle (richard@mud.co.uk).